Monday, August 11, 2014

The Directors Project: #15 - Peter Jackson

Scene from Cinema Paradiso
With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.


PETER JACKSON


Years Active: 1976-present

Films as Director: 12

Oscar Wins: 3

- Best Director (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

- Best Picture (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

- Best Adapted Screenplay (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

Who: One of the premiere directors out of Australia, Jackson started off making some of the most disgusting horror films in history. This is especially strange because as he "matured" and tackled heavier themes, he became more visually interesting and created something interesting with them. He has also dedicated a large portion of his life adapting the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and thus helping to redefine what an epic can be. He is visually innovative and pushes boundaries in ways that make his peers seem lazy. He is consistently interesting and makes blockbusters that hearken back to the old school Steven Spielberg models in terms of scale. He remains consistently interesting, even if his films don't necessarily reflect that every time.

POINTS TALLY
Scene from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
-- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) --

Flickchart Ranking: #64 (850 points)
IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)
Perks: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (overall 10 points)
Total: 920 points

-- Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) --

Flickchart Ranking: #70 (850 points)
IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)
Perks: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (overall 10 points)
Total: 920 points

-- Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) --

Flickchart Ranking: #155 (750 points)
IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)
Perks: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (overall 10 points)
Total: 830 points

-- Heavenly Creatures (1994) --

Flickchart Ranking: #239 (700 points)
IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)
Perks: None
Total: 770 points

-- King Kong (2005) --

Flickchart Ranking: #394 (550 points)
IMDb Rating: 5/10 (50 points)
Perks: None
Total: 600 points

-- The Lovely Bones (2009) --

Flickchart Ranking: #966 (50 points)
IMDb Rating: 3/10 (30 points)
Perks: None
Total: 80 points


OVERALL TOTAL: 4120 points

WHY DO I LOVE?
Scene from The Lovely Bones
Without a doubt, one of the hardest things to consider when making this list is how important Lord of the Rings was in my childhood. Speaking as I was 14 when the final one came out, those films connected me with my peers and made me enthusiastic about films in ways that none of his other work has (save for maybe Heavenly Creatures). He continues to be ambitious and interesting, and I like him for that. His dedication to craft and impressively dense box set of movies makes me even more pressed to find reasons not to include him on this list. He is an important film maker for me because he not only made a defining blockbuster for my childhood, but he connects to my passion for films and even the Oscars. While I cannot get into The Hobbit series as much, I still give him a shot in hopes that things will pan out.


UP NEXT: The highest ranked animation director on this list, and it is really, really obvious.

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